Forever and Always
by Alie-Kelsie
Summary: What happens when Susan stays in Narnia with Caspian? What tragedy occurs that include the rest of her siblings? And what strange force is growing stronger everyday, threatening to tear the now peaceful land of Narnia to shreds...
1. Forever and Always

PROLOGUE

Susan stared out at the sky as she fingered the ring on her finger. The stars twinkled as she replayed the afternoon's events in her mind.

"I'm glad I came back."

"I wish we had more time together."

"We would never have worked anyway…"

"Why not?"

"I am 1300 years older than you."

He smiled sadly at this but as she turned away, his face crumpled into lines of pain. She heard his sigh and turned around. She saw his eyes, like melting chocolate staring after her and her heart thumped wildly inside her chest.

She strode quickly across the space between them and took his face in her hands. Their lips met in what she had intended to be a quick kiss, but he drew her to him, his arms trailing down to her waist and her fingers twisted themselves into his hair.

A gasp from the crowd broke them apart and she stared at him in dismay. He pulled her to him and hugged her, his strong arms rubbing small circles into her back. Her eyes welled up with tears and her skin burned where he had touched her when he let her go.

"I love you, Caspian," she whispered in his ear.

"I love you, Susan," he replied.

Then, with one last, longing look, she turned and walked back to her siblings and took her place beside them. The four Kings and Queens of Old walked away, after many tearful goodbyes, and stood before the arch in the tree. Susan bit down on her lip, hoping the pain would distract her.

Just as Peter was about to step through the portal, a deep, booming voice called out to them…

"Wait."

The four twisted round, to face Aslan, to see that the old lion's face filled with a most uncanny expression. His normally placid features were replaced with an expression filled with uncertainty and indecision. No one had ever known Aslan to rethink his decisions. He knew he must choose quickly.

"What is it Aslan? What's wrong?"

Lucy ran to him, putting her hand in his mane, looking up at the king of beasts with a look of worry on her face.

"My child, you long for Narnia and will still do so when you leave?"

Lucy nodded fervently, her eyes still clouded with confusion.

"Your brothers and sister will also do so when they leave?"

"We will Aslan, there is no doubt of that!" chorused the other three.

Peter stared at the lion, sensing another meaning within his words.

"Susan, do you wish to stay with Caspian?"

Susan looked up, shocked at the question.

"Well, of course I do, Aslan, but I can't, can I?"

She stared up at the great animal in mystification.

"What are you implying Aslan?"

Caspian now spoke, his voice filled with emotion as he gazed at Susan. She looked back at him, her heart quivering at the sight of him.

"Do you wish Susan to stay with you Caspian?"

"There is nothing I would love more, I can assure you of that Aslan, but I thought that wasn't possible?"

His voice throbbed with an unseen emotion and hope flashed through his mind.

"Come Caspian."

The lion walked a little way off, out of earshot, and the others stared after Caspian in apprehension as the King strode to Aslan's side.

"My son, if you were to marry the Queen of Old, Susan the Gentle, great things would happen"

"What sort of great things, my Lord?"

"If you were to marry her, I foresee that she would be able to stay, longer than you or I would ever have hoped. I can see a great future ahead of her here, for if she were to return to her own world a great loss would befall her."

"What great loss, Aslan?"

"That I cannot say, but she would have no great future if she continued to return to her homeland. She can achieve much more here than she would ever have in her own land. Her siblings, the other King's and Queen of Old would prosper upon their own earth but Susan should not. I cannot tell the future for it is only shown in the stars and it is holy knowledge, but I can say this, Son of Adam. If Narnia is ever to return to peace again, it's ruler needs to be fully prepared. He needs to be strong and healthy, ready to give advice and ready to make a decision in an instant. He would need to be in a right state of mind and would not be able to be taken over by grief.

"Caspian, my son," Aslan said in a softer voice this time,

"Are you ready to let this chance go? For if you were to let her leave, the chances are that you would never see her again."

Caspian drew in a breath, his eyes wide.

"What should I do Aslan?"

"Go to her my son, let your feelings be known to her."

"Yes, my Lord, I shall. But, Sir…?"

"Yes, my son?"

"What if she were to feel that she should not stay?"

"I cannot say the future my son, only time will tell that. Now go."

Caspian hurried off, back towards the others, his stomach twisting into knots as he saw Susan's expectant face.

"Susan?"

"Yes, Caspian?"

He took a deep breath and got down onto one knee in front of her. He heard her gasp and lifted his head up, his eyes scorching, and gazed into her astonishingly blue eyes.

"Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Her mouth opened and closed, no sound coming out. She stared down at him, at his carefully sculpted face, his brown, flyaway, shoulder-length hair, full lips, perfectly straight nose and burning eyes. She turned back to her siblings to see Lucy watching them, a bemused smile upon her face. She nodded slightly and smiled as Susan gazed at her, uncertainly. Then, in that instant, she knew what she wanted.

"I will."

She got down on her knees and smiled at him, putting her hand on his face. His eyes roved over her face, memorizing her delicate features as she was his.

"I will love you forever and ever and ever and that will never change."

"That's all I need to hear."

Rapture lit up Caspian's face, their lips met and their arms curled around each other as they stood, still intertwined and the crowd cheered their approval.

And as the new King and his bride to be shared their joy, Aslan looked on, a small smile lighting his face.


	2. Welcome To The Family

CHAPTER ONE

Presently, Caspian walked into the room, pulling her out of her reverie, his hair flying as the gentle wind picked it up. The moonlight shone on his face and his eyes twinkled with joy.

"How are you my dear?"

Her took her in his arms and twirled her round, smiling as she giggled in delight. Susan wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his mouth to hers. They both sighed at their touch, as though all the troubles in the world would disappear as long as they were together. He carried her to the bed, never breaking their kiss, his tongue lightly flicking against her lips. She opened her mouth, and tasted him for the first time. _Oh the taste_, and then she was drowning, intoxicated by him and his presence. They lay down on the bed and Susan's hands turned into fists as she twisted her fingers in his hair. She sighed as Caspian moved his mouth down her neck, his teeth grazing her earlobe. Just as things were progressing into something else, a loud and exaggerated cough broke them apart.

Trumpkin stood in the doorway a look of amusement mingled with disgust upon his face.

"Your presence is wanted in the Great Hall, Your Majesties."

With that he turned and walked away, a small smile upon his face. His laugh lingered through the corridor and Susan and Caspian smiled at each other.

"I guess we'd better go my dearest," said Caspian, "although, I don't really want to…"

Susan smiled and gave him one last quick kiss and stood up, stretching. She walked over to her wardrobe and began to pick out a dress to wear that night, for tonight they were to attend a feast in the honour of their engagement.

Caspian walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, laying his head on her shoulder.

"I like this one my dear, it brings out your eyes."

He pulled out a pale blue silk dress, with an empire waistband and little white flowers flowing down the bodice and side. He stood next to her holding out the dress and smiled his approval.

"You like it?" she asked, a faint smirk on her lips.

"Very much so, my darling."

Susan pulled out a light blue corset and slipped it round her front and started trying to tie it.

"Let me do that."

Caspian walked round behind her and gently took the laces of the corset and tied them together. He took the dress and slipped it over her head and let it slide over her shoulders and settle on her hips before he the did the buttons up. He stood back to admire her and groaned.

"What is it?" she asked in confusion. "Do you feel ill?"

He smiled slightly at this.

"No my dear, it's just very unfair of you to look so tempting. I don't know how I'm going to resist just skipping this feast and making one of our own. She gasped at this and smacked him lightly on the shoulder.

"We are to do no such thing my darling, they're holding it for _us_ after all!"

But, then to show that she forgave him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and drew him in for another kiss.

"You should go get ready my dear, you need to look your best tonight."

Caspian sighed. He never wanted to leave Susan's side, afraid that she would disappear every time he left. He still could not believe that she was here with him.

"I won't be far away my darling," she said as if reading his mind.

He nodded and gave her another kiss before he crossed the room and out the door, but not without one last longing glance back at her. She smiled and nodded her head.

"I love you," he whispered as he left.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

Then she turned to her mirror and picked up an ivory brush and started trying to tame her hair that had gotten tangled during her activities with Caspian before. As soon as it lay silkily over her shoulders, she picked up a bottle of blue eye shadow and applied it to the top of her eyelids before she brushed on a little light blush and coated her lips with pale pink lipstick. After that she stared into the mirror, looking at the girl who gazed back at her.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself, her face crumpling into a frown.

All of a sudden her thoughts turned to back home and what would happen if she died here. Would she be dead there too? What would happen to her parents? She had mostly raised her two younger siblings, her motherly instincts taking over her when their mother worked nights and their father was away at the war. She made their dinner, got them to school on time, helped Lucy with her homework, had endured Edmund's tantrums and had comforted Peter when he had a hard time at school. What would happen if they went back home and she wasn't there to look after them? Would she have to go with them if she went back? Her heart panged at the thought of her siblings going home without her.

She looked down at her hand where Caspian's ring rested. It was beautiful, a thin white-gold band, with diamonds encircling a sapphire in the middle. His face erupted in her mind, filling her thoughts of all the kisses they had shared, his heady scent, like the forest, an earthy smell enveloping her; he was everything and all she knew. Then she thought about what would happen if she left him. She knew she would have to sometime. She hoped it would not be soon though. Tears poured down her cheeks, dropping onto the table below her, her slight shoulders shaking from the force of her sobs. When she had finally finished crying, she tried to fix the damage she had made to her carefully applied makeup and walked out of the room her head held high.

When she walked into the Great Hall, Lucy jumped up from her chair and ran over to her. For a child of thirteen, Lucy was medium height, thin, with dark hair that fell down over her shoulders resting just above her elbows. It was slightly layered so that the hair around her face was always shorter than the rest of it and she was constantly pushing it out of her eyes so that she always had a sort of windswept look to her. But tonight she seemed to have taken a lot of care with her hair so that the top half of her hair was pinned up elegantly around her face and the rest flowed down over her shoulders. She wore a gorgeous dress made from a silky scarlet-coloured material with thin straps and an empire waistband, just like Susan's. Her lips were coated with a bright red lipstick and the tops of her eyelids were shadowed with a dark brown eye shadow. Susan was shocked as she looked at her sister. Narnia seemed to be already having an effect on her. She looked much older, about fifteen, much more like the Queen she used to be. Her budding breasts held the dress up much better than they would have had they been at home and she was much more curvaceous than before. Susan noticed that many of the men in the hall were eyeing her interestedly. She laughed to herself as she thought about what Lucy would say if she knew this. When she had been Queen, many Princes from the countries surrounding Narnia had flocked to her, praising her and admiring her.

"Lucy! You look gorgeous!" Susan exclaimed, looking her sister up and down.

"Thanks," Lucy said shyly, "you do too."

Lucy led her sister over to the table where she was talking to Glenstorm the Centaur. Glenstorm saw the Queen coming and bowed deeply to her. Susan blushed elegantly and waved his bow away.

"Your Majesty, I congratulate you most wholly on your engagement."

He looked at her through his solemn eyes and she thanked him graciously.

"Thank you Glenstorm, it is a most joyous moment in mine and Caspian's lives."

She smiled at him and walked over to the two seats at the head of the table. She sat at the one on the right and smiled as people came up to her and gave her their congratulations. Soon after, Caspian came into the hall and took his seat next to her.

"How are you faring my dear?"

She heard his intake of breath and smiled as he looked her over.

"You look beautiful!"

She giggled quietly at this and replied,

"I'm doing quite well thank you, and I think dinner is almost about to be served."

And Susan was quite right in saying so. The feast was magnificent, with three splendid courses of roast pork and such things and wonderful cakes for dessert. Then, after everyone was talking amongst himself or herself, Peter stood up.

"I would like to thank everyone for coming this evening, it means a lot to us. Tonight, we celebrate the union of two wonderful people, King Caspian and Queen Susan. May we hope that their love will shine on through times of darkness and be the brightest light during moments of joy. I would now like to propose a toast in the honour of their engagement. To Caspian and Susan!"

Cheers erupted around the hall as everyone raised their glasses and said as one,

"To Caspian and Susan!"

Peter waited until it was silent once more and said,

"And Caspian?"

The new King looked up, uncertainty in his eyes. He was still not sure whether Peter had gotten over his animosity towards him yet.

"Welcome to the family."

Caspian breathed a sigh of relief as applause filled the room once more and smiled. He mouthed a thank you towards his new brother-in-law and caught Susan's eye. He grinned at her, and his heart swelled with joy as she took his hand under the table and smiled back at him.


	3. Nightmare

CHAPTER TWO

Susan lay in bed next to Caspian, unable to get to sleep. She could feel him breathing, the rising movement of his chest as it inhaled and exhaled. She got up and went to the window, staring out to the night, her eyes welling with tears. She stepped out onto the balcony and surveyed the courtyards below her, not a single movement present. She had thought so much about what would happen to her siblings if they left and she stayed here. In the past few days she had tried to not think about her siblings for a while, as she had been caught up in much wedding planning, but now, when there was nothing to distract her, her tears coursed down her cheeks in cascades and Susan the Gentle made no effort to wipe them away. She gazed out at the magnificent gardens surrounding the castle, the inescapable smell of lavender and orchids enveloping her, with the feeling of her tears drying upon her cheeks.

Then, a black shape moved quickly across the courtyard, drawing her attention to it. The figure slipped through the night, reaching the edge of the forest, but not quick enough, for the moonlight illuminated the creature just as it dashed away. The flash of white-blonde hair rocked Susan to her very core and with a gasp, "Oh!" she sank to the ground, her head resting in her hands. She curled her knees up to her chest and rocked herself, her arms pulled tight around her knees. Thoughts ran through her head at a sickening speed as she tried to make sense of what her eyes had just registered. It couldn't be true. Not after all this time! Could it?

"Susan?"

Caspian's innocent voice was marred with his shock of seeing Susan on the ground. He ran to her, his strong arms wrapping around her, his muscled body pressing against hers. He took her hand and turned her round to face him. Her fearful eyes stared at him and her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. His brow knit together in confusion, as he looked around, trying to find the source of her terror.

"What's wrong?"

When she made no response, he became increasingly worried. He leaned towards his Queen and kissed her hair, her nose, cheeks, eyelids, coming to rest on her lips. She sighed and moved her lips with his, their figures melting together to become one. Caspian growled playfully and she gasped as he bit down tenderly on her lower lip. Caspian gently pushed her down to the ground and he groaned as she tightened her grip on him. Susan's fingers tangled in his hair and Caspian ran his fingers up, under the light chemise she had put on before bed. Susan gasped for air and Caspian kissed his way down her neck, softly grazing her earlobe. He loved the way she shivered in pleasure as he reached her collarbone and she slid her hands up his shirt, feeling his masculine chest, hardened after weeks and weeks of training. Her back arched as his fingers drifted down her stomach and she moaned his name.

"Caspian…"

He lifted her up then, holding her to him, and walked towards the bed. Her head rested on his shoulder, her eyes searching the seemingly deserted gardens. Had she imagined the figure? But that flash of hair had been so convincing! Her eyes grew dark and afraid as she scanned the courtyard once more, before Caspian laid her down on the bed. He crawled on top of her and kissed her into a state of oblivion. Susan the Gentle, once Queen of Narnia and soon to be again, fell asleep in her true love's arms, oblivious to the face staring at her balcony from under the shade of a large tree, it's branches fanning out, hiding the figure from the moonlight that lit up the gardens. Then, the shape darted away, but not before the ever-present moonlight illuminated a head, full of white- blonde hair.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the white curtains covering the windows, shining upon the bed where the King and his Queen slept soundly. Susan's eyes fluttered a little, her head turning to face her man. She smiled, thinking how peaceful and untroubled he looked, sleeping there. He had had such a hard time recently, only just taking control of his people, and new ones, the Narnians. They had been willing to receive him as their King, but it was hard to get the remaining Telmarines and Narnians to co-operate. Each side was convinced that the others were bloodthirsty and cruel, malicious creatures and neither side wanted anything to do with the other. Susan sighed, rolled over and slithered out of bed, her feet slipping into the pair of soft slippers placed underneath the mattress. She stretched, her arms reaching up as she tried to get rid of the knots in her shoulders. She walked over to the balcony and rested her arms upon it's stone railing, her hair falling in front of her face, obscuring it. She gazed out at the gardens and she watched as servants and stable boys rushed to and fro, carrying everything from buckets to bouquets of flowers, specially put together for the wedding. Her eyes then came to rest upon the edge of the forest and everything came back to her in a horrifying burst.

The figure in the trees. The flash of white-blonde hair. The terrifying realisation.

Her hand came to her mouth as she tried to find the figure standing underneath the trees. Then his voice came to her, just like last night, but this time it was completely undisturbed, unaware of her fear. She composed her face and turned to face him with a smile.

"Susan, my darling?"

"I'm here love, I just got up."

He smiled and took her in his arms, kissing her lightly on her full lips.

"How are you my dear?"

She smiled at him, glad to have him back in her arms. He grinned back, his hand coming to rest on her face, stroking the strands of dark hair slightly rumpled from sleep.

"Much better now that you're with me."

He beamed at her, his face aglow with happiness. He took her hand and led her back to the bed. He pulled her into his arms, his head resting in her hair. He inhaled her fragrance, the slightly tangy floral scent that he loved so much.

"We are going to be married soon."

He stated it calmly, no emotion showing through his words except the look of complete elation on his face. He felt her nod as she turned to face him. When she saw the look of utter happiness in his face she smiled shyly. The Queen put her hand against Caspian's face, drawing him in for another kiss.

"I can hardly wait," she breathed into his ear. They drew back and she turned her head once more to gaze out at the grounds. Her previous thoughts lingered in her brain and as she recalled them, her face fell. He saw this and pulled her around to face him.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, … really…"

She saw his look of disbelief and sighed.

"Are you going to tell me what happened last night?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?"

She stared up at him, his eyes searching hers. He detected a hint of the fear he had seen in them from last night.

"Well, I found you looking terrified on the floor of the balcony, rocking yourself to and fro and mumbling something. I think your exact words were, "It can't be true, it can't be true."'

Her face drained of its colour as she cursed herself inwardly. Had she really been saying that?

"I…" She faltered, her brain scrambling for an excuse. His eyebrows were raised at the sight of her speechless for a second.

"I had a nightmare, Peter was killed in a train accident. It scared me and I went out to the balcony for some fresh air, so I could clear my mind."

His eyes still held a hint of disbelief, but he believed the lie without much persuasion. He pulled her back into his embrace and her face crumpled, hidden in his chest. Was she already lying to him? They weren't meant to have any secrets; they were about to be married! But was there any other way? Did she really want to tell him what she suspected? It would turn his world upside down; he was just starting to make things better, having only just taken over from Miraz. Did she want to risk it? She sighed, maybe it was best that he didn't know for now.

Her thoughts were interrupted however, by a maid opening the door, placing their breakfast upon the table in the middle of the room. She straightened the tablecloth, blushing at the sight of her majesties intertwined upon the bed, curtseyed gracefully and left the room.

Susan reluctantly pulled herself away from Caspian and picked up a piece of toast. He rose and reached around her to grab a piece himself. He sighed, remembering the day he had ahead of him. His advisors were in knots trying to figure out how they were going to soften the hatred between the Telmarines and the Narnians. They had tried to get them to share land and hold counsels together, but nothing had worked. More than once, the King had been called away to prevent things from getting decidedly nasty between the opposing races. He looked down at his soon to be wife and smiled. With Susan by his side, things seemed much brighter.

She sensed his gaze and stared up at him, a half bitten piece of toast in her hands. His gaze was so intense that she blushed, but did not look away. He searched her eyes, for… what? A sign? Something, anything? He didn't know. He recalled her face as he had observed her last night, it couldn't have been a dream. There was something, something big, that had caused her that much horror, enough to force her to the ground. He remembered stroking her face and feeling the damp patches on her cheeks, she must've been crying. He didn't know what was wrong and doubted that she would tell him, so he figured he would just have to wait and see. Caspian pulled her to him and whispered into her hair…

"I love you, Susan. I will never let you go." He heard her intake of breath as she settled beside him. He closed his eyes, trying not to think as he clasped her to him.

* * *

Susan floated round the castle that day, barely answering as servants rushed up to her, questioning about materials for her dress or what type of colours should they decorate the great hall with for the banquet afterwards. She became increasingly frustrated that she could not find a single moment alone. Her head pounded with an insistent headache and she longed for some peace. Susan finally escaped to the stables, where she ran to Caspian's horse, Destrier, and mounted him. She nudged him into a gallop and they rushed past the guards, who stood hurriedly to attention as she hurried past them. She didn't know where she was going, but Susan soon found herself in a meadow full of bright yellow flowers, a creek babbling past them. She sighed in relief and dismounted, only to trip on a stone and fall flat on her face. She grunted angrily and lifted herself off the ground and whipped around, making sure no one had seen her fall. She pushed her hair off her face, unknowingly making a dark line of dirt across her cheek. She stood up and went to sit under a large beech tree, which shielded her from the sun. She laid her head back and sighed in contentment, closing her eyes, relishing the quiet. After a while, she managed to drop off, exhausted from her lack of sleep with the afternoon sun lighting up her face.

* * *

Susan woke with a start, her head banging back against the tree behind her. She lifted her hand to rub her head, pain shooting through her skull. She looked to the sky and realised that it was nearly twilight. She giggled to herself, thinking of the servants rushing around, looking for her. She stretched her aching back and got to her feet, looking around. She walked to the creek and splashed some water onto her face. When she was done, she half turned back to Destrier who was grazing a little way off, when she saw something glitter in between the trees a bit past the creek. She grew more curious the more she looked at it and she finally shook her shoes off and lifted her dress and stepped over the creek in one lithe step. She walked through the trees, stepping over roots and brushing away branches before she stood before the object that had taken her curiosity. She stood before the statue, no, _statues_ and examined them. There was a fox and a bear, their arms held up, shielding themselves from something that she couldn't see, their eyes filled with terror. What odd statues, she thought to herself, stepping a little closer to get a better look at their faces. The more she looked at them, the more familiar their expressions and stances seemed. Then the realisation finally dawned upon her, and her knees shook and her eyes filled with tears. She fell to the ground and the force of her sobs shook her slim body, her hands covering her eyes, terror filling every single cell of her body, overtaking her, paralysing her. When she finally looked up and stared into the faces of these poor animals before her, a flash of something white-blonde caught her eye. She screamed in absolute fear, letting her emotions take over her. She was on her feet, her terror and tears blinding her as she tore back through the forest, ignoring the sharp branches that scratched at her face and arms and ripped at her dress, focusing only on the creek ahead, with Destrier waiting for her. She tripped on a large root and landed on her face. She looked around wildly from her position on the ground, seeing flashes of white-blonde everywhere. She heard a twig crack and something scratched at her ankle. She shrieked and yanked herself up, sprinting for the creek. She leaped over the creek and ran with open arms toward Destrier. She mounted him, quick as lightning, and urged him on with a cry. Sensing danger, Destrier turned with his ears flat against his head and galloped at full speed towards the hill, back to where they had come from so much earlier. She looked back at the forest and saw a dark figure staring after her, obscured by the trees. Susan twisted her head away, bawling at Destrier to go faster, the image of the two statues in the forest flashing before her mind and her tears grew more forceful, her whole being torn with grief. When they finally reached the castle gates, where the guards were standing to attention, she drew Destrier into a trot. When they had finally stopped, the guards started approaching her, identical looks of shock and surprise crossing their faces as they saw the Queen shaking in terror, covered in bloody gashes and scratches, her dress torn and tears pouring down her face.

"Your Majesty!"

They broke into a run and lifted hands to help the distraught Susan from her seat. She shuddered in her place upon Destrier's back and the sound of their voices petrified her. Images flashed up before her eyes.

The statues. The bear and fox. The terrified expressions upon their faces. The flash of something white-blonde. The twig cracking. Something scratching at her ankle. The figure watching her from the edge of the forest. Then she imagined that frightful face, the hair pulled tight against her forehead, skin as white as snow and eyes that screamed murder.

Then, the Queen fell sideways, fainting dead away.


End file.
